Why Kogi needs peaceful 2019 elections- Olafemi

 
Kogi state former Governor and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Chief Clarence Olafemi, who is also People Democratic Party (PDP) national campaign director in charge of Kogi state, says Governor Yahaya Bello should be held responsible if there is violence in Kogi during 2019 polls.Oyibo Salihu brings excerpt:
 
 Why have you chosen to be in Atiku’s camp?
 
Alhaji Abubakar Atiku is one of the rare person God has given to us, to govern this country. He demonstrated it when he was the Vice President from 1999 to 2007 and since he left he has been trying to be the president of this country. Firstly, as an insider during the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime acquired knowledge on how to govern this country.
 
Secondly, as the Vice President, there were some things he could have loved to do then but been the second in command he could not. So if he becomes the number one person he will have the capacity to improve on the governance of Nigeria. 
 
Atiku is a man who has great acumen in the area of business and he has been successful in controlling chains of businesses within the country and he has also created enormous jobs for Nigerians. So he knows how to grow the country’s economy. If he could manage his businesses, making them to flourish, there is no doubt he will be able to manage Nigeria’s economy effectively and make one of the best in Africa.
 
Some of us are really worried about where Nigeria is today when compared to where we expected the country to be when we voted for this present government in 2015.
 
Coincidentally, I was a real actor and Atiku was a major actor in the forces that brought President Muhammadu Buhari to power. We had a lot of expectations and we were convinced we must change the government of the PDP as at that time. Unfortunately, where we are today, some four years into the APC government seems to be hopeless because we have a clueless government that has no solution to the problem of this country.
 
Talking about unemployment, it is clear evidence today that over 30 millions capable and willing Nigerians are out of jobs. It is pathetic and the alarming rate of unemployment is what has given birth to armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual killings among other social ills that had bedevilled the country in recent time because people must survive. 
 
That is why whatever it will cost us legitimately and legally to change the government we will not hesitate to do it in the interest of the suffering Nigerians. This government has brought so much suffering and hunger never witness since Nigeria independence in 1960.
 
Imagine a bag of rice this present government inherited from PDP administration at the cost of N8,000 is today over N19,000. Every consumable item in the country has tripled in price to the detriment of the masses whose take home pay remained static. Even in some states of the federal salaries are no longer regular.
 
We seems to have totally derailed in finding solutions to all these problems and that is why I am earnestly supporting Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and I have the conviction that he will turn around things for better, if given the mandate.
 
You have just been appointed the national campaign director for Kogi state, how will you shoulder this herculean task considering the political situation in the state?
 
To you it is a big responsibility, but for me it is a very familiar responsibility. In 2008, I was the governor of Kogi state when election was cancelled, I was charged to ensure that the PDP wins the election. I have no campaign council and in the history of elections in Kogi state, that was the first time the state had a candidate winning with a figure of over 600,000 votes while the opponent had over 120,000.
 
I supervised and directed all the affairs of that election which was adjudged one of the most peaceful elections in the state. Also in 2015, I was the member of Presidential Campaign Council of the APC in charge of Kogi state. Meetings and planning were done in my house and we defeated the sitting PDP marginally with over 361,000 votes against over 130,000 votes. So, the new responsibility given to me is a familiar job and I think the PDP had put a round peg in a round hole by asking me to do the job.
 
I am appealing to Governor Yahaya Bello, who is the Chief Security Officer of this state, to take a look at the Nigeria constitution that spells out clearly that every security issue in the state lays squarely on his shoulders. He owes the state that great obligation to make sure that election is peaceful so that the will of the people can prevail.
 
The people of Kogi state are watching with keen interest how the governor will handle the security of the state from now till end of the 2019 general elections because nobody has the monopoly of violence. Let that be said clean and clear that all political parties in the state need a level playing ground. He should discourage violence of any type because history will be told if anything happen to the state.
 
What is your comment on the electoral amendment bill 2018 which the president has declined to sign into law?
 
First and foremost, his refusal to sign the amended bill is an impeachable offence because the first question we should ask is why do we have legislative arm? The major responsibility of the legislature is to look at events the way it unfolded especially in the past and to correct the anomalies by making laws that will improve on it. Once the national assembly has done the amendment bill it behooves on the president to sign it into law.
 
Nigerians are the one craving for free, fair and creditable 2019 general elections, therefore, the national assembly has to take a look at those areas that can hamper the quest of the people and those areas of concern were amended. 
 
I have not seen anything extra ordinary in the amendment bill presented to the president for his accent, but he chose to throw the water, the baby and the bath without considering its implications. If we are trying to avoid violence and the ingredients of tackling the crises are jettisoned because of primordial or personal interest then we are not ready for the positive change Nigerians craved for.
 
This situation is so bad and unfortunately it will be difficult for the national assembly to get the two-third to override the president as spelt out by the constitution because there is no patriotism in Nigeria where legislatures will see reasons to vote even against their party.
 
Imagine, the INEC have made a statement that they will use the old electoral laws which means in the last four years we have not been able to correct any error in our electoral process, it is piteous and unbelievable.
 
What is your comment on the clampdown on opposition parties by the ruling party?
 
When we were in the APC then as an opposition party nobody searched my house and we were free to hold meetings in any part of Kogi state. I was free to use my personal office to campaign for Muhammadu Buhari then and nobody ran after me. But what they are doing now is an invitation to chaos. We will not be perturbed because a political party who knows that he can win elections will never indulge in a war.
 
I am appealing to members of the PDP not to retaliate any attack or nasty behaviour from the ruling party because people are already tired of their antics. But we must build a society where nobody can abort the 2019 February elections and it must hold because it is sacrosanct to Nigerians.
 
It is a simple fact that Nigeria as a country is greater than any individual and Nigeria is too large to be plunged into a war by few individuals who do not believe in the unity of the nation. We will not allow anything evil to happen to Nigeria because no country in Africa can help us if crises erupt.
 
The international community has a big role to play in the 2019 elections. The way they persuaded President Jonathan to accept defeat in 2015 election, they should also come in a harder way to persuade President Buhari and his people to allow free and fair elections in the interest Nigerians.
 
Why the issue of security become paramount in Kogi state and the reasons to hold the Governor Bello fully accountable is the fact that signals received recently shows that the APC in the state is out for violence.
 
Senator Dino Melaye’s posters in Yagba West including Koton-Karfe has been destroyed which is not undemocratic. A responsible government will not condone or tolerate such actions. The other time it was Senator Ogembe who was attacked while in Ebiraland holding a peaceful meeting. He was giving empowerment to his people they went there and disrupted the programme.
 
Senator Dino executed some projects for the people and at the point of commissioning those projects hoodlums were sponsored to destroyed the projects. All these should not be allowed to be happening in Kogi state because the state belongs to all of us.
 
The most recent is the attack on Barrister Natasha Okpoti the candidate of the Social Democratic Party for senatorial election. It is sad because the whole world is watching us. Kogi state has existed since 1991 and we have been holding peaceful elections. The governor has to stop his supporters from unleashing terror on the opposition parties otherwise whatever happens to the state we will hold him responsible.